I have an idea for a sports/fitness drink/water and need some advice from the experts as far as patenting and general startup procedures go. I was considering purchasing some raw materials myself to create the formula, but I am unfamiliar with certain ingredients such as preservatives (citric acid, lactate) and colorings, etc. It would be difficult to know how much of these ingredients I need and how they would react w/ the other ingredients in the drink. I have thought about consulting a do-it-all manufacturer that would produce a custom formula given my vision and list of key ingredients. If I did decide to go this route, do I need to get this manufacturer to sign a confidentiality agreement before working with them? and when should I think about getting a patent? Could I possibly patent a custom formula w/o the amounts of necessities such as preservatives, coloring, etc. and just rely on the profile of the main ingredients? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Z-man

08-23-2007, 05:35 PM

Where are you from?

I know a company in Florida that does this stuff. My friend did exactly as you stated and didnt cost him much for the formula. Yes, get a Non-disclsoure form for them to sign. Once you agree on the taste profile etc etc and your happy then your off and running. in the meantime if you are serious about moving forward get your name and trademark it. Once you file (a few thous to lawyer) you sit for a year to see if it will go through. You can use the TM in the process. Same goes for Patent- takea while under patent pending. Then you will need to find a bottler or canner and plan on being told of minimum runs of 4-8 thousand cases. Plan on spending lots of money. i hope you do it!